Clinton vs Trump: Who’s going to fact check the debate?

Welcome to the #FPAmerica mini-series before the first presidential debate at Hofstra University. Debates have rarely turned the race decisively but this election race has upended every rule of politics. This first debate comes after a particularly violent two weeks, and it’s gun violence in Houston today as disgruntled lawyer who had numerous weapons randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood before he was shot and killed by police. Snack on these tidbits before or while you watch Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump face off in a race that was never expected to be so tight so late in the election season. This one’s on six things these candidates have been saying that has no basis in fact. One thing you can be certain about though - guns are not going away from America and neither are the wingnuts using them to kill innocents. [caption id=“attachment_3021566” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The lecterns on stage at Hofstra University get ready for the primetime debate on Sep 26[/caption] Who’s going to fact check the 90-minute debate is a top concern of the campaigns’ strategists given Trump’s habit of saying things that are untrue or just plain insulting without evidence and the public’s general distrust of Clinton. Both have shifted with political winds and many are wishing they just had more choices. Too late for that, it’s going to be either a white man with orange hair or a blonde grandma. The race is in a dead heat heading into the debate, Clinton’s leads are shrinking in Penn State and disappeared in Colorado. President Trump, folks? Here’s your mini playbook of possible untruths: Trump: I was totally against the war in Iraq. Fact: Trump was for the Iraq War before he was against it. Clinton: What I did [with emails] was allowed by the State Department … Fact: Nope. Not allowed. Trump: Fifty-eight percent of African-American youth are not working. Fact: Trump has no clue about data about black youth. Clinton: Under [Obama’s] leadership, we’ve created 15 million new private-sector jobs.” Fact: Obama’s leadership has not been such a big deal for jobs. Trump: Clinton supports “open borders” and a “550 percent increase” in Syrian refugees. Fact: Trump is wrong about Clinton’s plans for immigration and refugees. Clinton: Trump “doesn’t make a thing in America except bankruptcies.” Fact: Not true.